17 May Pick up Trash for the Turtles

Just saw this magnificent Leatherback Sea Turtle on one of Blue Wave Adventure Dolphin cruises and I just had to take a second a reflect on the magical beauty of these ancient animals. These sea turtles are fascinating creatures that can live over 50 years of age, grow to be over 3 feet long and can even weigh close to 1,000 lbs! They are definitely one of my favorite creatures to see while out on 1 of our cruises, especially because when they come up gasping for air, they remind me of little old men with bald heads! You know, like the Benjamin Button? haha

But seriously, this brings me to my next point… these creatures are becoming more and more rare and a large part of it has to do with TRASH. One of the most common pieces of trash that we pick up while on our tours is plastic bags and balloons. To the these loggerhead sea turtles, plastic bags and popped balloons resemble both jellyfish and jelly balls, two of the sea turtles main sources of food, and they end up choking on these pieces of plastic. Please Please Please recycle and properly dispose of ALL your trash. If you see some litter on the ground, in the water, or when you are out and about, please take 1 second to pick it up. That is the least we can do as humans and help make the environment a better place for us all.